While this trend has understandably taken its fair share of skepticism from Disney fans across the globe, at the end of the day, most of us true Disney fans will be there as soon as we can to see these classic stories back on the big screen like never before. Who wouldn't want to see a live action Mulan? Plus, I have yet to find a single soul who isn't thoroughly excited to see what Disney has in store with Beauty and the Beast next year. Even with the closest one of them all, The Jungle Book, audiences worldwide are gearing up to see what looks like an incredibly well-made film. All of these stories are, without question, some of the best ever created by Disney.
A proposed Mary Poppins sequel is a whole new ballgame though.
In September 2015, the world was rather shocked to learn that Disney had plans to move forward with a true follow-up to Walt Disney's masterpiece. Not a remake or a re-imagining, but a sequel to one of the most beloved Disney films of all-time. With this news, ardent Disney decreed that the studio had gone too far in their attempt to revitalize their classic films. We were content with seeing Mowgli and Baloo back in action. We even were satisfied with the news of a Dumbo movie being directed by Tim Burton of all people. However, you just don't mess with Mary Poppins, right? To quote an old adage, if it ain't broke...don't fix it! How could you possibly improve upon perfection? How could a songwriter without the last name of Sherman conceivably write follow-ups to "Jolly Holiday" or "Feed the Birds"? And how could an actress compare to the inimitable Julie Andrews? Surely, this had to have been a grand ruse by Disney.
As we later come to find out, Disney was as serious as a heart attack. In fact, they went ahead and signed Rob Marshall (Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods) as the director and consequently laid out their plans for the sequel. They even went ahead and hired Life of Pi screenwriter David Magee to pen the script and Grammy and Tony winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman (Hairspray) to compose a new score as well as write new songs. All of that was well and good, promising and perhaps exciting even. For a score of fans, though, myself included, it didn't really matter who was behind the camera because whoever it was, it wasn't going to be Walt Disney orchestrating the original. Primarily, we were concerned about who in the world Disney bring on to play the practically perfect nanny. That's just one of those casting choices that could literally make or break a film before production even began.
At this point in the timeline, my excitement was rising, but still subdued. I really like Marshall as the director as he has shown his immense ability to stage a musical on the big screen. Obviously, if you bring on the team of songwriters behind Hairspray, the music will be great even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of the original Sherman brother tunes. I was still awaiting some casting news, though, to push me in one direction or another in regard to my level of excitement. See, Mary Poppins has been, is, and probably always will be my favorite Disney film ever. As is the case with legions of people, it's a part of me, and a bad sequel would be disastrous for my Disney side.
Recently, however, news has broken that Disney is in talks with Emily Blunt to bring the Banks's nanny to new life. If Blunt ends up signing on the dotted line, I will be the first one to buy a ticket for this sequel. If we indeed must have a Mary Poppins sequel, Blunt would be a grand slam casting choice for Disney. Look, there will never be another Julie Andrews. She's a legend and her portrayal of Mary Poppins will go down in history as one of the greatest performances in cinematic lore, but now, I give you three reasons why Blunt is an excellent choice for this role.
First of all, and (probably) according to author PL Travers, Emily Blunt is naturally British. If an American actress would have been called upon to not only bring this character back to life in a fresh and innovative way, but to also carry a British accent throughout too, an aura of this portrayal simply not being right would definitely be in the air and Disney would have a self-fulfilling prophecy on its hands in the eyes of their fans. The role of Mary Poppins is inherently British, and therefore, you need an inherently British actress. Blunt checks off that vital box on her resume.
Secondly, Emily Blunt can act. If you aren't familiar with her filmography, get on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, wherever you get your movies and find some of her films. She has, in the last few years, become one of my favorite actresses working in Hollywood today. Blunt busted onto the scene in The Devil Wears Prada opposite of Meryl Streep in 2006 and hasn't stopped since. With some of my favorites including Looper, Edge of Tomorrow, and Sicario, Blunt is an unparalleled talent that Disney would be beyond fortunate to have her in the cast for their sequel. Folks, she's so good that if they had told me she was auditioning for Bert, I would totally be on-board (side note: can we get The Force Awakens star Oscar Isaac to play Bert? That would be my ultimate fan cast.)
Finally, Emily Blunt has already proven her ability to sing in a Rob Marshall-directed film. In 2014, Blunt portrayed The Baker's Wife in Marshall's epic musical, Into the Woods. While Meryl Streep deservedly garnered the lion's share of the awards attention during that particular Oscar season, Blunt (alongside co-star Chris Pine) stole the show by belting lyrics and music from the mastermind of Stephen Sondheim. To steal a movie from the likes of Meryl Streep is no small task, and Blunt does just that and more from beginning to end. Working with a director that one has previously worked with is a priceless asset to have when it comes to bringing the world a Mary Poppins sequel. Marshall and Blunt have already brought a classic musical to the big screen for Disney. Who's to say that they couldn't do it again?
I know that there will be a vast number of skeptics looking at this movie all the way up until the release date, but if we get Blunt signed, sealed, and delivered, I beg you to give this sequel a chance. It may end up being as nightmarish as we could possibly imagine, but remember that in 1964, when Mary Poppins first arrived on Cherry Tree Lane, we saw something we had never seen before. Maybe, just maybe, a brand new generation of filmmakers have something just as supercalifragilisticexpialidocious up their sleeves for this one.
-Cody Fleenor
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